The autumn sky is a blue ocean, fathoms deep.
The birds chatter and tell their stories
to the silent, knowing trees.
How stoic are the trees,
how majestically they stand, as the birds fly
from branch to branch.
I watch as the leaves fall
soundlessly to the ground, one by one,
a steady drift of fallen wonder.
I pause, as though in the stillness, I might understand
the passage of falling leaves, nature’s tumble
within the hourglass of time.
And yet, the leaves leave their mark,
do they not? A riot of color in the blink of an eye,
each leaf, a marvel in its own way.
It is the autumnal hour,
a time that passes over me softly,
as though my life were a watercolor, awash with living water.
It is a lovely blur of days gone by,
the moment at hand, and dreams of things,
yet to be.
Softly, slowly, the leaves float and drift
like beautiful dancers on a stage all their own,
each dancer plays a part, takes their bow in turn.
I sigh, for it is all that I can do;
the dancefloor of the seasons beckons,
and it is my cue to move on yet again.
Winter will come, soon enough, but for now,
blue skies reign, the leaves of autumn, a masterpiece
to cherish, a spark of heaven from a bough of branches.
Romans 12:2: And be ye not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”
I wrote this post, ‘Nooks and Crannies’, before the current state of the world happenings. It was a post that I had written and set aside. Everything seemed to stand still with the events unfolding before us. A blog post was the last thing that I was thinking about. I do know this: God hears our every prayer. We pray for peace in these times. We pray that in all the ‘nooks and crannies’ of our lives, we bring hope to others. Kindness matters. Love matters. There is much work to be done. May we each do our part…today, and always. I was going to write an altogether new post, but then, I reconsidered. I thought about how we change the world, each of us in our own way, one person at a time, one day at a time. Does it matter? Of course, it does. Just ask the people you love if you make a difference in their lives. Just ask yourself how many times someone has touched your life, maybe even a stranger, and they made everything so much better. And so, upon reflection, my ‘Nooks and Crannies’ post made sense, even in these turbulent days in our world. We must open our hearts and our homes to others…and we must unclutter all that holds us back from doing good for others. We must spring-clean and holiday-clean all the cobwebs of doubt that our ‘doing’ does not make enough of a difference. It makes all the difference in the world…
Nooks and Crannies
It is that time of the year when we begin thinking about the holidays. Before all the holiday decorations come out of the attic, I like to clean the ‘nooks and crannies’ of the house, forgotten places I may have missed during summer’s busy days. (There are many places to be sure!)
It is a surprising thing about dust, how it settles where we least expect! Like weeds in the garden, there is always an accumulation of dust in just a number of days. We can weed a garden, but sure enough, the weeds are back in no time. We can clean a house, but like a soft mist, the dust will return even when we clean and vacate the premises.
For inspiration, I buy peppermint scented cleaners, light fragrant holiday candles, and imagine that all my cleaning efforts will pay off…a home fit for the holidays!. The funny thing is, that when we entertain, our homes get ‘messy’ once again. I will find little handprints on the French doors…my grandchildren will inevitably look outside and press their little faces to the glass. This is actually endearing in so many ways! In fact, throughout the holidays, there is ‘traffic’ coming in, and going out nonstop. It is a beautiful ‘mess’ in the most wonderful way possible.
Celebrating our homes with the people we love is magical, to say the least. Showing hospitality is a joy to behold. It does not matter the size or the decor of the home…it is the ‘welcome’ sign, the invitation to join in, and celebrate the moment at hand that matters.
In our lives, there are many ‘nooks and crannies’, forgotten ‘places’ we don’t think about much. It might be a long-forgotten dream, a place on the map we want to visit, a hobby we always wanted to try. But somehow, we let our garden of dreams languish in a muddle of weeds and overgrown shrubs. (We might have to do some pruning and weeding, but the potential exists for something wonderful to happen.)
Imagine sitting in a treehouse overlooking a beautiful vista…so much to think about here, so much to see. Suddenly, you remember lots of things you have forgotten, important things that make you happy. Immersed in nature, you open your mind to new things, believe that you can make changes for the better. Your dreamscape becomes clearer, a vision of ‘what could be’ emerges in full color.
It is good to clean the ‘nooks and crannies’ of our homes before the holidays. For one thing, we make space for our holiday decor!
It is also good to clean the ‘nooks and crannies’ of our lives. God has given us so many gifts, so many dreams that live within our hearts. Like a tree full of many heavy branches, each branch offers a wonderful view of the world…We can always ‘see things’ in a different way, reimagine a brand-new beginning.
Sometimes, we need a tree-top view of our lives to see all those nooks and crannies clearly. We must brush aside the cobwebs and get a better look…We might find something completely amazing!
There is a little bit of heaven right here on earth…God’s blessings flow endlessly. We must keep our eyes open and be on the lookout…so many possibilities are not in plain sight. Hidden out of view, in the ‘nooks and crannies’ of our lives, the wind within our very hearts stirs…everything changes, and the dust settles. We cannot fix all the problems of the world. We can, however, strive to be our very best selves, taking time for the things that matter to us, realizing our own unique dreams. Who knows what might happen? It is certainly worth a try. And at all times we pray for peace throughout the world, within our families, and within ourselves. (Philippians 4:7: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”)
“Behold, I make all things new.” Revelation 21:5
Romans 12:13: “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”
Hurrah for goodness in the nooks and crannies! And for the dancefloor of the seasons.
Yes! The dancefloor of the seasons is an awesome thing! I hope you find lots of good things in the nooks and crannies this fall season…
Thanks for sharing this with the dance floor. 💃 Anita
🙂 🙂 🙂
Each dancing leaf is a marvel.
Nooks and crannies just came up in conversation–a fun coincidence to your lovely post.
Yes! Each and every leaf is a marvel! (The leaves in my back yard are really piling up…we have a lot of trees!) I must say, the squirrels are doing their own little happy dance! 🙂
We have a lot of trees, too. We hear acorns dropping on the roof and sidewalk. 🙂 The squirrels are VERY busy!
🙂 🙂 🙂
A marvelous meditation Linda. I especially appreciated these words:
“I pause, as though in the stillness, I might understand the passage of falling leaves, nature’s tumble.”
I forget to make a pause in the busyness of life, but when I do, I feel a renewed sense of understanding, of being in sync with the world in which we live. You reminded me of another passage: “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Ph 4:8
Bless you Rebecca for sharing that verse. It is one of my favorites. It is such a great verse to meditate upon…It is true that the more we look for the beauty in life, the more we find it. It is funny how there is so much wonder in the simple things…we must be very observant.
Now with the leaves mostly gone and the forest floor carpeted, all the nooks and crannies in the trees are visible. Old birds’ nests, wasp nests unprotected, squirrel hideouts in hollowed trees, and deep forest landscapes become real. Not only that I do not get lost in the woods as quickly. Like the world today, such a stark change happening. Winters coming.
Yes, Gary, winter is coming. I like your description of the forest floor and the animal’s hideouts. All the little creatures are getting ready for the winter days ahead. Nature is one of God’s great gifts to us, and we learn so much from the seasonal shifts, the chill of winter, and the thaw of springtime.
a very apt post in these restless times, glad you went with this one! Love your words, thoughts and pics of your changing season. Your poetry really is very special 🙂
Thank you Kate! It certainly is a restless time…in the midst of it all, nature is so wondrous in every season. Especially in Autumn, we are reminded that change is possible…and change can be breathtakingly beautiful as well.
change is a constant so best to embrace it 🙂
🙂 🙂 🙂
I agree that your “Nooks and Crannies” post is still relevant and appropriate. It serves as a much-needed invocation not to despair during these horribly troubled times.
These are very difficult times, heartbreaking times. It is good to know that God is with us at the first sign of trouble. He is always there for us. Psalm 46:1: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.” I always like to think about the words, ‘very present’ because they are symbolic. God does not leave us…ever. And so, we find comfort even in affliction. We find hope in the midst of a storm. Thank you for sharing your comment that we must not despair. We must however, ‘pray without ceasing’. (Thessalonians 46:1) In prayer, we find God’s peace, ever present, ever Holy, without end. Only God can do that. And it is this peace that we share with a broken world.
I’m glad you went ahead with this post, because it is actually quite timely. We can’t alter world events, but we can pray, and we can control how we treat those around us. And just think if everyone did that…. Happy August, Linda!
Prayer is everything! I always think about that ripple in the water when you cast a stone. You just never really know how one small thing can really make a big impact. We all have those life-changing moments when suddenly ‘we knew’, everything became clear. Often, it comes about through a chain of events, or maybe just one solitary moment. There are those times in life when someone says ‘just the right thing’. It is what we most needed to hear and it comes to us in perfect timing. Yes, Ann, you are right…it all begins with us…
After 40 years in FL, where Fall comes and goes with no colorful leaf dance at all, I’m reveling in the leaf-extravaganza here in the Midwest. Small leaves twirl as they tumble; large ones drift side to side (depending on the breeze, of course). Either way, their dance makes me smile! / I like your idea of using scent to inspire your holiday cleaning. Christmas carols playing in the background helps me too!
I like your idea about playing Christmas carols! 🙂 Your Autumn sounds lovely. I lived in Indiana for four years during my college years. Fall was a beautiful season there…
We too went to college in Indiana–at Taylor University!
The poem above is my favorite of any you’ve shared, Linda. I love listening to the birds, watching squirrels, smelling the Fall leaves and seeing the gorgeous transformation of the season. As for the rest of this write-up, I believe when we reach for our higher selves through meditation or prayer, we contribute to a higher vibration for the whole world. Wishing you many blessings, my friend. 🙂
Thank you so very much Lisa! I wish you blessings as well! Autumn is surely a time when we reflect not only on the beauty of the world around us, but also on the wonder of life itself. Change is a constant part of our lives, and we must learn to accept it with an open mind. If we can appreciate the beauty of life with all the ups and downs, all the joys and heartaches, we are very blessed indeed!
Linda, I’m so glad you reconsidered and saw the need for this post in the current climate of world events. I know for me I can become so overwhelmed by what is unfolding in the world scene that I minimize the impact of the little things I do to serve my family, friends, and neighbors in the day to day. Thank you for the exhortation that “We must open our hearts and our homes to others…and we must unclutter all that holds us back from doing good for others.” On another note, we were out of state for the past week. When we arrived home, I was surprised at how many of the “beautiful dancers” had taken flight and transformed our front lawn into a golden “dancefloor.”
Beth, I love that last line in your comment where you describe the flight of the ‘dancers’, and the golden dancefloor. If we don’t stop to notice the wonder of dancing leaves, what else might we miss in life? We each have only so many autumns, so many dances, so many fluttering leaves that cross our path. When we take the time to celebrate the ‘wonder’, we catch a glimpse of eternity; we come to understand that our Heavenly Father is a giver of good gifts. He is a giver of good gifts every day…
Linda, this entire post deserves more than just a simple “Like.” In your poetry, I can feel the autumn silence that speaks with every colorful leaf falling to the ground. I can truly hear it. Indeed, the world situation is more than most of us can digest in one news soundbite. Your “Nooks and Crannies” reminds me of the journey my wife and I have been taking in finally sorting through her late mother’s treasures. We brought them back several years ago (long before Covid), and they stayed in storage. It’s been a blessed task, and we’ve created more memories in adding to our own collections.
Thank you so very much for your thoughtful comment! I understand the journey that you and your wife have embarked upon. We revisit so many memories when we go through the ‘treasure boxes’ of our beloveds when they pass away. It seems a daunting task with the photos, cards, and letters that our dear ones have treasured through the years. It is a blessing to behold when we consider a lifetime of love expressed in tangible things. I smile when I find yet another recipe that my mother clipped from a magazine or a Bible verse she wrote on the back of a card. I remember her caring spirit, her words of wisdom, and her delicious cakes!
A beautiful poem and photos, Linda, and lovely reflections on the season. I needed to read something soft, peaceful, and lovely today in a world exploding with violence. Thank you for that. <3
Thank you! I hope you are finding some peaceful moments this Autumn. The state of the world is sad; it is heartbreaking. I think of nature, surrendering her leaves to the Autumn wind…the trees still stand tall and strong. We too, must stay strong through the seasons…with hope, with prayer, with hearts that seek to make the world a better place.
A lovely comment, Linda, and beautiful outlook. <3
🙂 🙂 🙂
I love this. What you write puts a sparkle in my eye and warmth in my heart. We all need this kind of joy because of the sometimes difficult world that we do live in. Great post.
Thank you! Wishing you blessings in these November days! 🙂
Thank you so much Linda. You as well.
A beautiful poem and photos. I’m glad I stopped by to read this post, Linda. In a world with so much turmoil, we need to be reminded that there is still beauty to be found. God still gives us dreams and awakens wonder in our souls. In the midst of hard times, we can still have hope and spread his love and joy to others.
Thank you! 🙂 Yes! Lamentations 3:22-23: “God’s mercies are new every morning.” God greets us anew each and every day. We wake up and our Risen Lord is already there with us…Our Heavenly Father is with us when we sleep and when we awaken. He is there in all the dreams of our hearts. How blessed we are in so many ways! Just as the sun rises warming the earth, God’s love and light warms our souls, reminding us that His love is forever and ever.